The Least of These

How many of you, in your walk with God, have felt like you haven't made a difference? Have you ever felt like you are the insignificant one? Do you sometimes feel you don't have what it takes to make a difference?

All too often, believers in God feel that their help has gone unnoticed or that they haven't been of help to anyone. They often feel like the "least of these."

How many of you know who Gideon is? Let me tell you a little something about Gideon. Israel was under oppression by the Midianites. When God asked for Gideon to help deliver Israel out of the hands of the Midianites, Gideon told him that his clan was the weakest, and he was the lowest one in his family.

How many of you know who David is? The Lord sent Samuel to anoint a new king for Israel. He sent him to the house of Jesse of Bethlehem. When Samuel arrived, he saw Eliab, a tall and strong man, but God told him not to take his appearance into consideration. So Jesse continued to bring out his finest sons and presented them to Samuel, but God continued to reject them. When Samuel asked Jesse if he had any other sons, Jesse said that his other son was out tending the sheep. Jesse hadn't even taken his youngest son into consideration.

So what happened with Gideon and David? Well, Gideon recruited 32,000 men to help him fight the Midianites but God sent away most of the men, leaving Gideon with only 300 men to fight the Midianites. With God's help and instruction, Gideon and those 300 men defeated the Midianites! David was anointed and the Spirit of the Lord stayed with him. David went on to prove his true strength and worth by defeating Goliath with just a sling and 3 small stones.

If you take a look at both of these men, they were considered the least of these. Gideon's clan was the weakest and he was the least in his family. Jesse didn't even present David to Samuel when Samuel was looking for the future king. Yet both of these men did great things in God! God used these men in mighty ways.

What people don't realize is that God had already equipped both of these men for the tasks ahead of them. "Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to Him..." -Hebrews 13:20-21. God equips his people for the work that lies ahead of them, but sometimes we fail to realize that we have everything we already need. When the Lord asked Gideon to save Israel from the Midianites, the first thing he said was "Go in the strength you have..." (Judges 6:14). A friend of mine talked last week about a word like this. He quoted Numbers 13:30 which says, "Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, 'We should go up and take possession of the land, for we are more than able to do so.'" I agree with what my friend said, that "sometimes we feel like a drop in a bucket, but it only takes one drop to create a ripple effect." We may only be one person, but all it takes is one person doing the will of God to do great things!

You may forget sometimes who God has called you to be, but don't worry! He will always be there to remind you! "So I will always remind you of these things even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have." -2 Peter 1:12